Self-cleaning gutter

ABSTRACT

This is a gutter, downspout and mounting system arranged such that the gutter is supported in hinge-like fashion and can, without climbing, easily be flipped more or less upside down thus dumping its leaves and other debris to the ground and exposing its insides for further cleaning from the ground with a water hose and suitable nozzle. An easy way is also provided for moving the downspout out of the way before the gutter is inverted. Attempts by others to prevent debris from entering gutters tend to also obstruct the rain water from entering, particularly where trees are present, and their designs make the always dangerous cleaning process even more difficult. This invention solves the problem.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED R&D

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REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gutters with no leaf guard can quickly collect leaves and other debris requiring periodic gutter cleaning for suitable operation. Before the invention described herein, the cleaning process was quite difficult and dangerous, but is now made easy. Because of the said danger and difficulty, a number of gutter covers are on the market attempting to divert the debris from entering the gutter while allowing rain water to still enter. None of them are very satisfactory. The gutters still need occasional cleaning, and the covers make that more difficult. The leaf guards that screen the debris quickly get covered and stopped up with debris, causing the water to simply run off the front or back of the gutter rather than entering it. At least one type of guard is a solid sheet of metal that completely covers the gutter but curves inward, causing dry leaves to fall off the edge while water tends to still enter the gutter because of surface tension tending to make it cling to the metal. This system fails because wet leaves and small leaves or pine needles can be held by the same surface tension. Also, during heavy rainfall, surface tension can be overcome by weight and momentum of the water and most water does not cling, instead falling over the edge. Because none of these covers are flawless, many come with guarantees that the vendor will clean the gutter if it gets clogged. Because of their shortcomings the guarantees force vendors to routinely clean many of the gutters for free and that makes these gutters very expensive to buy. Essentially the future cost of cleaning is built into the price of installation. Furthermore, homeowners often let the gutters become only partially functional or completely stopped up before the vendor is called. When such gutters must be cleaned, the very attachments intended to keep unwanted debris out of the gutter also make it quite difficult for the gutter to be cleaned. With this invention, cleaning is so easy that such cleaning guarantees should be either un-necessary or inexpensive. The only advantages they may have over the current invention are easier installation, greater resistance to storm damage, possibly lower cost and slightly better aesthetic aspects.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to make gutter cleaning simple, easy, fast and safe, without special tools or climbing. Without any climbing, the gutter is simply made to flip upside down so that gravity empties most of the unwanted debris. Also, the inside of the gutter becomes visible from the ground and the gutter can thus be further cleaned from the ground with a water hose connected to a suitable nozzle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF DRAWINGS

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DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One suggested design of the gutter system is as follows:

The gutter itself is item 1, which can look exactly like most conventional uncovered metal or vinyl gutters except for its item 2. Also, since the rear side of the gutter in this application is supported only at intervals rather than continuously as the conventional fascia board mount does, it is desirable to increase the stiffness of that side such as by pressing rib-like recesses into it.

The pipe-like outlet appendage(s) (item 2) of the gutter for letting the water exit into the downspout(s) is (are) shortened to approximately ½ inch. This appendage should be long enough to prevent the exiting water from wetting the exterior of the gutter or missing the down-spout opening/funnel as it pours out. It should also be short enough to prevent the said appendage(s) from touching the building structure while the gutter is in its dumping position, which would otherwise limit the range of motion of the gutter. It should also be short enough to help assure good alignment with the down-spout funnel when the gutter is in its normal upright position.

A number of hinges or hinge-like items (item 3) are affixed directly or indirectly to the exterior rear edge of the gutter. The pivot pin of each hinge is horizontal, parallel to the length of the gutter, and located somewhat below the fascia board and soffit board, such that the gutter can, upon release, rotate more or less upside down by gravity and freely swing beneath the soffit board without any part of the gutter or item 2 resting against the building surface. The pivot pins of the several hinges should be co-linear, with each located such that a perfectly vertical line from each pin upward is closer to a vertical plane containing the roof ridge than is the top of the rear edge of the gutter. This is to help prevent the said top edge of the gutter from striking the roof as the gutter rotates to dump. The other leg of each hinge is fastened to either the fascia board or the horizontal board that supports the soffit, such that the collection of hinges support the gutter while allowing it to flip and swing upside down.

The gutter is supported indirectly by the above hinges, rather than a conventional mount to the fascia, and is forced to retain its shape under load by several brackets (item 4) fastened to the upper end of the outer vertical edge of the gutter, thence running to the other vertical edge, thence down the exterior rear wall of the gutter and optionally running thence across the exterior bottom of the gutter thence running slightly upward on the front face of the gutter. The several brackets (item 4) each serve to keep the vertical gutter edges from being spread apart by water pressure when the gutter is full. The vertical portion of each bracket is typically screwed to the hinges described in section (2) above so that it is un-necessary to put screw holes in the gutter. The said brackets and hinges are spaced from one another closely enough to prevent the gutter from sagging downward due to weight of the water. The bracket (item 4) described in this paragraph is already available in the gutter section of Home Depot, and is called a fascia bracket. However, these brackets should be mounted to the hinges described above instead of their conventional mount to the fascia board.

In addition to the above described gutter and its mounting arrangement, the gutter system includes a revised downspout, described later as items 14 and higher, and a means for releasing the gutter to fall by gravity, lift it back to upright position and re-secure it to that position.

The means I describe below is my preferred embodiment of the release, lift and secure functions:

(Item 5) A heavy gage L shaped bracket. One leg of it mounts to the fascia board or equivalent. The other leg extends outward across the top of item 1 and is either above or near to and beside item 4.

(Item 6) A rod, typically aluminum approx ⅛ in diameter, running the full length of the gutter. It is generally inconvenient or impossible to buy a single rod as long as the gutter. Therefore this rod often consists of several, typically 6 ft, rods connected end-to-end. I connected them using short segments of hollow aluminum tubing with paper clip wire fed through tiny holes drilled through both the tubing and the rods.

(Item 7) Supports for item 6. These are vertical plates perpendicular to item 6, having holes of slightly larger diameter than item 6 and through which item 6 passes. These plates can be an integral part of item 5 or can be small L shaped brackets fastened to item 5.

(Item 8) Two pulleys, typically about 1 in dia. They mount to one end of item 6 beyond the end of item 1 and slightly beyond the closest item 7. A string or small diameter cord is fastened to each pulley via a small hole drilled in the side of each and wrapped several turns around the pulley. The cords on the two pulleys are wrapped in opposite directions and hang downward so that a person on the ground can rotate the item 6 rod for many turns in either direction by pulling the appropriate cord.

(Item 9) Rod strings. Near each item 5, several turns of one string are wrapped around item 6 and the wound end of the string is fastened to the rod, typically with glue.

(Item 10) Rectangular block, typically cut from a square pvc rod to make it durable and weather resistant. A larger face of this block is positioned and temporarily clamped to the upper surface of the free end of item 5. A hole is drilled perpendicularly through both the block and item 5 near the center of the block. The hole diameter is such that item 11 can pass through it without either friction or significant wobbling. Two other holes are drilled through the same surfaces but near the ends of the block and accommodate screws then used to fasten the block to item 5.

(Item 11) This item is or resembles the removable pin from a standard domestic door hinge, except that the pin is shortened to the minimum length necessary to safely accomplish its function.

(Item 12) Lever. This is a plate, typically rectangular aluminum, roughly the length of item 10 and used to lift item 11. It has a hole at one end large enough for the rod portion of item 11 to loosely pass through but not the knob or head on its end. The plate also has a hole near its center to accommodate one of the item 10 mounting screws and a small hole at its other end to fasten item 9, which should be almost directly beneath the loose end of item 9.

(Item 13) Flat connecting plate. This plate has a hole in it, positioned and sized to very loosely accommodate item 11 when item 1 is upright and item 11 is in its downward position. Item 11 then serves to secure item 1 to its upright position. The plate should be integral to or rigidly mounted to the portion of item 4 that crosses over the top of item 1. The plate should reach far enough across the width of item 1 so that it lifts item 11 when item 1 is lifted. If item 5 is above rather than beside item 4, then item 4 can be drilled and made to serve as item 13.

Operation: Item 1 is normally secured in its upright position for collecting rain. When it is desired to clean item 1, the operator first rotates the downspout and funnel i.e. items 14 & 15 out of the way. He then pulls the appropriate cord described with item 8. This rotates item 6 which pulls item 9, which pulls one end of item 12 downward, which lifts the other end of item 12, which lifts item 11 out of the hole in item 13, which frees item 1 to rotate downward by force of gravity about the pin or pivot point in items 3. The center of gravity of item 1 will then lie directly below the pivot point and contents of the gutter will dump out. The operator can further clean the gutter by spraying it with a hose with suitable nozzle while standing on the ground. He then lifts item 1 to its upright position and secures it there. In the case of the preferred method, this is done as follows: The appropriate cord of item 8 is pulled to lower item 11 by reversing the process that lifted it. While standing on the ground, one or more poles are then used to lift the gutter to its upright position. As it approaches its upright position, item 11 rides upward on item 13 and then drops into its hole, which secures item 1 at that point. The gutter can also be lifted at other points to assure that all instances of item 11 have dropped and secured their portion of the gutter.

Alternative Means for the Release, Lift and Secure Functions:

The main advantage of choosing any of the following alternatives is that the lifting becomes a one man job even for long gutters and does not require poles. Also, the gutter drops slowly, avoiding possible damage to itself and the building.

Alternative 1—The most obvious means for the release, lift and secure function is to mount several small motorized winches with very flexible cables or cords to the building and let the loose ends of these cords connect directly or indirectly to the top outer edge of the gutter. The cable or cord would need to be guided by pulleys mounted indirectly to the building in suitable locations, the location closest to the load being above the gutter about half as far from the fascia as the outer edge of the gutter is. The winch could serve to drop, lift and secure the gutter. This approach has the disadvantage of being expensive, requiring a power source such as electricity and being unsightly compared to alternatives.

Alternative 2—A more attractive one, possibly better than the “preferred” one described above, continues to use items 5 through 9 but connects items 9 directly or indirectly to the outside top edge of the gutter or gutter bracket (item 4). Rotating the rod then lifts and lowers the gutter. When using this alternative, item 8 should be a single pulley with a long belt that is rotated from below, since item 6 must be rotated a large number of revolutions. Also, item 9 must be far stronger to avoid breaking. Also item 6 must have larger diameter to accommodate its higher torque and side load plus the greater length of item 9. The rod is thus more expensive. The lowering and lifting are also more time consuming.

Alternative 3—Same as alternative 2 but use a motor with gears instead of ropes to turn item 6.

Downspout

The gutter system also includes a revised downspout system, allowing the funnel and usually the downspout to be moved out of the way before the gutter is lowered. In one embodiment, suitable for low elevation gutters, the downspout system consists of the following items:

(Item 14) Pipe that can be identical to conventional downspouts, except that the curved segments near the top must be more rigidly attached to the straight portions. They do not connect directly to the gutter.

(Item 15) A funnel shaped attachment to the upper end of pipe 14 to catch the water exiting item 1, and direct it into that pipe.

(Item 16) A mounting assembly for the downspout (pipe) consisting of: (16 a) approximately flat bars of equal length approximately 1.5 feet long with holes through their ends and (16 b) a nut-and-strap assembly. Each assembly (16) has two blocks of material that are fastened to a strap that wraps tightly around the downspout and holds one block against each of the two downspout edges that are normal to the wall of the building. At least one block of each mtg assy (16) ideally has means to tighten its straps by turning one or more screws. With the assembly strapped to the downspout, each said block has a threaded hole parallel to the building wall. A screw or bolt through that hole loosely fastens one end of each bar (16 a) to the block by a suitable bolt and locknut. This puts the wider surfaces of the bars perpendicular to the wall surface, making them less visible from the street, and allowing the downspout to rotate away from the building rather than to the side, where another wall might be in the way. The other end of each bar is loosely fastened to the wall of the building vertically above the other end of the bar, using suitable screws and nuts. These bars are all parallel to each other and remain parallel as the gutter is rotated away from the gutter, being the ends of a parallelogram. The downspout 14 must be supported by a minimum of two mounting assemblies (16), one near the bottom and one near the top of the straight portion. The mounting assemblies (16) cause the downspout (14) to remain vertical as its bars (16 a) are rotated away from the building wall. This frees the gutter to rotate without hitting the downspout and prevents the gutter contents from falling into the downspout. Gravity tries to make the downspout return to its normal position, so it must be held up and away from the building with something suitable like a stick. Mounting the bars (16 b) to the wall below rather than above their other end is not advised since that makes the normal position unstable and would require the lower end of the downspout to be removed when the downspout is shifted out of the way.

Operation: Simply lift the downspout up and away from the building and prop it up with a suitable stick while cleaning the gutter then let it back down afterward.

Alternative: (Requires No Action by the Operator and is Useful on any Floor Level.)

A relatively short funnel shaped item is indirectly attached to the gutter outlet (item 2) by a hinge, the pin/pivot of which is parallel to the length dimension of the gutter and at least as far from the building as any part of the gutter bottom. The downspout is rigidly affixed to the building in a conventional manner. However, the upper end of the downspout, or an attachment thereto has a mouth wide enough to partially “swallow” the aforesaid hinged item as the gutter rotates downward. 

1. A gutter system with mounts that allow the gutter to be rotated to a position where gravity makes its contents basically dump out and the inside of the gutter become exposed for easy cleaning with a water hose and nozzle while standing on the ground or on a suitable platform.
 2. Claim 1 having hinges, cords or similar means, located at suitable intervals along its length, to support the gutter weight yet allow the gutter to flip upside down while its length remains horizontal.
 3. Claim 1 including an associated downspout to catch water falling from the gutter and a mounting system with provisions to support the downspout but easily shift the downspout or its upper portion away from the gutter path and its falling contents as needed, usually without climbing.
 4. Claim 2 wherein there is a horizontal rod running parallel to the length of the gutter, the rotation of which provides the mechanical power to operate the mechanism which lifts, lowers, fastens or unfastens the gutter.
 5. Claim 4 wherein the said mechanism fastens or unfastens the gutter.
 6. Claim 5 wherein the said mechanism is similar to the implementation described as items 5 through 14 herein.
 7. Claim 2 wherein the mounted but free-to-rotate gutter is lowered, raised and secured by a winch or similar mechanism.
 8. Claim 6 wherein one end of a cord is wound around and fastened to the said claim 6 rod or an attachment thereto and the other end of the cord is fastened to the free/outside edge of the gutter, making the rod able to lift, lower or secure the gutter, determined by the direction of rotation of the rod or non-rotation thereof.
 9. Claim 6 in which the claim 6 rod includes a threaded portion passing through a fixed position nut thus causing the rod to move in its lengthwise direction as it is rotated. This is to prevent the cord from overlapping itself as it winds onto the rod and to make the intersect point of cord with rod be near a rod support, thus causing less mechanical stress inside the rod.
 10. Claim 3 in which the upper end of the downspout, or an attachment thereto, has cross sectional area that increases with height to act as a funnel for catching water that exits the gutter.
 11. Claim 3 in which the downspout (14) is affixed to the building by one or more hinge pairs, the pins of which are oriented such that, the upper end of the downspout is easily rotated to a suitable position away from the gutter during gutter cleaning and returned to normal afterward by someone on the ground, moving it with direct contact or rope.
 12. Claim 11 in which the moveable part of the downspout is held just beneath the gutter and remains approximately vertical by using two or more of the said hinge pairs, one hinge of each pair fastened to the building and the other fastened directly or indirectly to the downspout.
 13. Claim 1 in which water from the gutter is carried into a fixed location downspout by a pipe fastened by hinge to the gutter and partially “swallowed” into the downspout as the gutter rotates downward. (Based on paragraph 028.) 